Galangal

The second key rhizome and a favourite for its lemony, woodsy, slightly piney flavour. Galangal looks very like ginger, but the skin is paler and ringed with brown concentric circles. Inside the flesh is creamy white and very hard, meaning it must be sliced rather than grated. Scrub clean, then either chop and grind into bumbu spice pastes or cut into slices and bruise with the heel of a knife to release the flavours before dropping into the pot, where it will magically work to heighten all the other flavours. Dried galangal has little merit, so buy fresh and store in the freezer where it will keep well. At a push, ginger can be used as a substitute, but the flavours will be different as the ginger will bring more heat and less sharpness.